


dream, together you and i

by CyrusBreeze



Category: Station 19 (TV)
Genre: Babysitting, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Not Beta Read, Relationship Negotiation, We Die Like Men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-22 16:21:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17063018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyrusBreeze/pseuds/CyrusBreeze
Summary: From the prompt:Vic runs into Ripley in the park. He is there with his niece (who is biracial). They play with his niece and someone tells them what a beautiful daughter they have, prompting Vic and Ripley to have a conversation about the future of their relationship.





	dream, together you and i

**Author's Note:**

  * For [madnephelite](https://archiveofourown.org/users/madnephelite/gifts).



> So here’s the prompt: 
> 
> Vic runs into Ripley in the park. He is there with his niece (who is biracial). They play with his niece and someone tells them what a beautiful daughter they have.
> 
> And then an additional request (from nephelite) for established relationship + serious conversations:  
> Playing in the park or out in a store with someone telling them that they have a cute daughter. The niece is spending the night at his place cue adorable put her to bed scene with Vic maybe singing her a song and then serious conversation about their relationship and future.
> 
> Anyway, this got loooooooonnnnnngggggg. I was expecting to write 1 maybe 2k in this prompt and be done with it. But this became a monstrosity, and I’m quite proud of it. Again, characterization isn’t my strongest point, so I struggled a bit with that here. 
> 
> Aaliyah is very near and dear to my heart and might be one of my most favorite child characters. She’s a pretty sassy kiddo, and it based on a amalgamation of a few 6-8 year olds I know. I hope you find her to be realistic. She was a fun character to write. 
> 
> The song Vic sings is called Raven by Jewel. 
> 
>  
> 
> Um... content notes: nightmares and implied child abuse that is neither depicted nor described. Both of these happen near the end.

“You’re a lifesaver,” Olivia said as she opened the door. “Seriously Luke, I can’t thank you enough.”

“You and Naomi are going through a lot, watching Aaliyah for the night is the least I can do,” Lucas said with a smile. 

“I should be back around 11 tomorrow morning,” Olivia said. “I’m dropping Naomi off tonight, and then I’ll head back around 7 tomorrow morning.”

“You don’t have to rush,” Lucas said with a smile. “We’ll be great.” 

“She needs to be in bed by 9,” Olivia said with a sigh. “She’s been getting nightmares lately, so we let her stay up for about a half hour and have something to drink or a very light snack and then she’ll go back to sleep. That happens a few times a week, but she’ll be in an unfamiliar place tonight, so that might trigger something. Sometimes she talks about her nightmares. Sometimes she doesn’t. I don’t know. I’m really sorry to dump this all on you. If there was anyone else we could find to watch her so that you didn’t have to, I would-.” 

“Like I said, Liv, babysitting Aaliyah is absolutely no problem,” Lucas said with a smile. “You need to worry about your wife and your mother-in-law. I’ve got your little one, okay?” 

Olivia smiled and then wrapped Lucas into a tight hug. “You’re my favorite,” she said. 

Lucas hugged Olivia back. “I’m going to tell Sophie you said that,” Lucas said with a chuckle. 

Olivia gave him a gentle shove. 

“Uncle Luke!” A voice echoed around the foyer, and Lucas turned to see his niece bounding toward him. 

“Aaliyah!” Lucas said, catching her as she leapt into his arms. “How’s my favorite girl?” He asked. 

“I’m good,” Aaliyah said with a grin. “Mommy did my hair. Look! ”

Aaliyah gestured to her hair. The front part was sectioned into small braids and each braid ended with Aaliyah’s brown corkscrew curls. 

“Your hair is beautiful, Liyah,” Lucas said, grunting as he placed her on the ground. Aaliyah was getting heavier, and at seven years old she sighed a lot more than the malnourished, frightened, shy four year old she was when Lucas had first met her. 

Aaliyah beamed. “What are we doing today?” She asked. 

“Well, Miss Vic’s car is broken, so we have to go pick her up-” 

“I like Ms. Vic,” Aaliyah interrupted. “She’s very pretty and very, very nice.” 

Lucas smirked. “I like Miss Vic too,” he said. After we pick Ms. Vic up, we will go visit the children’s museum. After that, we’ll eat some dinner and then it will be bedtime.” 

“And you’ll read stories?” Aaliyah plodded. She tapped her Spider-Man backpack. “Mama packed the best stories.” 

“Yes,” Lucas said with a grin. “We can read stories.” 

“Good,” Aaliyah said. “‘Cause I was starting to get a little bit worried that we wouldn’t get to read stories.” 

“Did Mama make sure you had everything else packed?” Olivia asked. 

Aaliyah nodded. “She made sure I packed everything up and she checked everything twice. I’m ready to go.” 

“I checked again,” Naomi said, entering the foyer. “And you almost forgot Wiggles.” 

“Oh no!” Aaliyah said, reaching for her stuffed koala bear. 

Naomi smiled at Aaliyah and then turned to Lucas. “Thanks so much, mate,” she said, her accent shining through. Naomi had only been living in the US for as long as she and Olivia had been married, which had been about six years, compared to Lucas and Olivia’s 30 years in the US, her accent was a lot more obvious than either Lucas’s or Olivia’s. 

It was familiar, hearing the accent that Lucas had heard every day until he turned fourteen and his family moved to the states to live with his mother’s family after the death of his father. “No problem,” he said, slipping easily back into his accent. 

Olivia grinned. “Alright, Ms. Aaliyah,” she said, her own accent bleeding into her words. “Give me and Mama a hug before you go.” 

Aaliyah hugged Olivia tightly. 

“I’ll be back tomorrow night,” Olivia said. “Just one sleep. Love you, Aaliyah.” 

“Love you too,” Aaliyah replied. 

Lucas gave Naomi have a hug. “You take care, alright?” He said. 

Naomi nodded. She looked exhausted, and Lucas imagined he would look a lot similar if it were his mother. He had already been through the pain of losing a parent, and he knew that it took its toll on a person. “Thanks, again, mate,” she said, offering him a watery smile. “I don’t know what we would’ve done if we had to wait.” 

“It’s no problem,” Lucas said. “I mean it. And I’m happy to spend a little bit of time with my favorite niece.”

“Uncle Luke, I’m your only niece,” Aaliyah said as she hugged Naomi. “Jacob and Joel are boys, that means they’re your nephews, so I’m your only niece. Bye, Mommy. I’ll see you in one week.”

“That’s right,” Naomi said. “One week and you and Mom will be able to drive to pick me up.” 

Aaliyah looked serious for a moment. “Be safe, Mama,” she said. “I love you.” 

“Love you too, Liyah Bug,” Naomi said, releasing Aaliyah. 

“You ready?” Lucas asked. 

Aaliyah nodded and grabbed Lucasms hand. 

“Let’s go!” She cheered.

-X-

“I think your ride is here,” Maya said with a wink as she took a long swig of her wine cooler. 

“Mhmm,” Andy said, smirking. 

Lucas had pulled into the driveway and parked, but he paused for a moment before he stepped out of the vehicle, leaving the car on. 

Vic stood, hand on her duffle bag. 

He walked up the steps of Andy’s porch. “Good afternoon, Vic,” he said. He leaned down and pecked Vic on the lips. 

Vic ignored the wolf whistle and heckling that came from her teammates. They had been out to her teammates and HR for just over a year now, and her teammates still teased her every now and again. It was lighthearted and Vic knew they would stop the moment she asked them to. She always knew that her teammates would give hell to anyone outside of their station that so much as breathed a word of disdain. 

“Bishop, Herrera,” Lucas said in acknowledgment. 

Maya raised her bottle in greeting. 

“Afternoon, Chief,” Andy said. 

“How was your sleepover?” Lucas asked. 

“It wasn’t a sleepover, it was ladies meetup!” Maya cheered, knocking back the remainder of her drink. 

“I’ll drink to that,” Andy said, taking a sip of her beer. 

“Ignore them,” Vic said with a laugh. “They’re drunk.” Vic had had a mimosa earlier that morning, but she figured she should stop drinking if she and Lucas were going to go on a date as planned. 

“That’s true,” Maya said, laughing. 

“Well, we should probably head out. Aaliyah is by herself in the car,” Lucas said. 

Vic furrowed her eyebrows. Lucas hadn’t told her that he was, they were, babysitting. She had assumed that they were going on a date, as planned, but maybe Lucas had forgotten. 

“Who’s Aaliyah?” Maya asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

“My niece,” Lucas answered with a small chuckle. He turned to face Vic. “My sister and sister-in-law had to go out of town for an emergency and they couldn’t find a sitter.” 

Vic nodded. She couldn’t fault Lucas for that. Lucas loved his family, and the fact that he was willing to drop everything for them on such short notice was absolutely incredible. She turned to face her friends. “I’ll see you on Monday,” she said. 

Maya and Andy waved, and Lucas and Vic walked to the car. 

“Sorry about ruining our day,” he said. “Naomi and Olivia just really needed someone to watch Aaliyah and-”

“Lucas,” Vic said with a smile. “I like your niece, and family is important. It’s okay.” 

Lucas breathed a sigh of relief, and the two of them got into his car. 

“Hi Ms. Vic!” Aaliyah said from the backseat. 

“Hi, Aaliyah,” Vic replied, turning to face Aaliyah. “How are you?” 

“I’m good,” Aaliyah answered. “My mom and mama had to go out of town because my gamma is sick so I get to hang out with you guys today.”

“I’m glad you get to hang out with us,” Vic said with a smile. 

Aaliyah beamed. 

Lucas backed out of the driveway and the three of them sat in a comfortable silence. 

Vic opened Lucas’s glove compartment and grabbed one of the mini water bottles from it. Lucas was pretty good at keeping water and other vital supplies in his car. 

“Ms. Vic?” 

“Yes?” Vic answered. She took a long swig of water. 

“Are you and my uncle going to get married soon?” Aaliyah asked. 

Vic coughed, spraying water all over the dashboard. “What makes you ask that?” Vic said, catching her breath. 

“Well, last week, when my uncle came to drop off something for my birthday, mom asked how long you and Uncle Luke had been together, Uncle Luke said a year and a half. And then mom said, ‘That’s a really long time. You should think about marriage soon.’ And then mama said, ‘Well, Liv, not everyone is a Uhaul Lesbian.’” Aaliyah paused. “What is a Uhaul lesbian?” She asked curiously. 

Lucas chuckled. “You should ask your mom that when she gets back from Oregon,” he suggested. “I’m sure your mom knows the answer to that.” 

Aaliyah nodded seriously, and Vic smirked. 

“So, Aaliyah,” Vic said, catching on to the one part of Aaliyah’s sentence that didn’t have to do with marriage. Hopefully, Vic could distract her and Vic wouldn’t have to think about marriage and Lucas before she was ready. “Do you have a birthday coming up?” 

“Yes!” Aaliyah said. “My birthday is in three weeks, and my Mama is building a super secret special something, and she needed some tools from Uncle Luke. My theme is gonna be spider-man, because he’s my favoritest superhero. And mom says I can invite 20 people, so I’m inviting everyone is my class and then I can invite 6 more people. I should invite Peter from camp, and Kaylee, and Ava, oh and you Ms. Vic! That makes 18, so I have to figure out two more. But I’m really, really super excited. Because I love spider-man and he’s the best and mom said that we can watch the new spider-man movie and…” 

Vic grinned in spite of herself, and she found herself listening intently to Aaliyah’s tireless ranting, dead set on not taking the time to consider what had transpired. 

-X- 

Aaliyah hopped out of the car the moment that Lucas put it into park. 

“We’re here!” She yelled. 

Lucas smiled and then stepped out of the car before Aaliyah took off. She was buzzing with energy. Lucas could tell by the way she waited by the car, bouncing on the tips of her toes. 

“Let’s go! Let’s go!” Aaliyah cheered.

“You have to hold hands,” Lucas warned, because seeing a single accident involving a minor was one accident too many, and he could never be too careful, not even with a seven year. 

“Okay,” Aaliyah said. “Can I hold your hand and Ms. Vic’s hand?” She asked. 

“You have to ask Ms. Vic,” Lucas said. 

“That’s fine,” Vic said with a smile. 

Lucas locked his door and the two of them grabbed Aaliyah’s hands. 

They entered the museum and Lucas paid the entrance fee for the three of them. 

“Where to first?” Lucas asked Aaliyah. 

“The playground,” Aaliyah shouted. 

“Let’s go!” Vic replied with equal enthusiasm. 

Lucas grinned. It was interesting to watch Vic with Aaliyah. Lucas knew that Vic had a niece of her own and that she liked playing with kids, even if she sometimes referred to them as little critters. 

The two of them headed off in the direction of the playground and Lucas followed, grinning to himself. 

They arrived a moment later, and Aaliyah took off into the playground. 

“Sorry about not telling you we were babysitting,” Lucas said to Vic. “Liv and Naomi unexpectedly needed to drive to Eugene because Naomi’s mum had a stroke.”

“It’s fine, seriously, Lucas, ” Vic said, her voice kind and firm. “I like that you’re willing to take care of your family on such short notice.”

Lucas smiled a little in spite of himself. Eva had hated when he ruined date nights by babysitting Jake and Joel during an emergency. He babysat his older nephews far more than he babysat Aaliyah, but Sophie was a single mom of premature twins who was going through a divorce. His constant care of Jake and Joel was a source of tension in their house and only added to the stress of their marriage as it fell apart. Not that Lucas had any regrets about putting his family over his marriage, especially since it had led to Vic, but sometimes he wondered if he really did spend too much energy on his family. 

Lucas huffed and turned off the car. “Thanks for understanding,” he said. “I know it’s not what we planned.” 

“Like I said, Lucas, I don’t mind,”Vic reassured him. “Heck, I haven’t been to the children’s museum since my younger siblings were little, it’ll be fun.”

“Thanks,” Lucas said with a smile. 

Aaliyah came running up to them. “I made a new friend,” she said, gesturing to a girl on the playground. The girl looked to be around Aaliyah’s age, and her hands were holding the handlebars of a red and silver walker. “Her name is Allison and she’s really nice and I wanna invite her to my birthday party.” 

“That’s really cool,” Lucas said. “I don’t know if you’ll be able to invite her to your birthday party, but we’ll see, okay?” 

Aaliyah nodded, and then she took back off in the direction of her new friend. 

A moment later, Lucas noticed someone was standing next to them. He turned to face the person. It was a woman, probably in her early twenties or so. She was short, and her hair was pulled into a messy bun. She was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt and she looked exhausted.

“Hello,” Lucas said with a smile. 

“Hi,” the woman said timidly. “Your daughter is so sweet,” she paused. “I’m, uh, Allison’s mom, and Ally has trouble making friends so it’s really nice to see her playing with someone. And it feels especially nice because we’re moving to California with my family and Ally really wanted to go to the children’s museum one last time. I know I’m rambling-”the woman chuckled. “I just… She’s so sweet you know, and also adorable. Your daughter is just so precious.” 

Lucas smiled. He wasn’t going to correct her, wasn’t going to make a sweet situation awkward. 

“Thank you,” he said instead. “She’s a great kid.” 

The woman walked away. 

“So…” Vic said with a smirk. “We have a daughter…” 

Lucas’s face went hot. “That was sweet. I’m not going to correct her.” 

Vic stood on her toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I know,” she said. “I don’t blame you. It was pretty cute actually.” 

And dammit it Lucas didn’t want to kiss her on the lips right then, but he was mindful of their surroundings. 

He smiled instead. “I can’t say I minded…” he began. 

“Aaliyah is certainly an amazing kid,” Vic said, and Lucas could tell that she was intentionally avoiding addressing the meaning behind his words. 

Perhaps it wasn’t the best time to have this conversation. The two of them watched Aaliyah play for nearly half an hour before Aaliyah came back. 

“Allison had to go,” Aaliyah said sadly. “And she’s moving to California so she can’t come to my birthday party. But I’m happy I made a new friend! Ally’s the best, even if she likes Batman more than Spider-Man.”

“I think Batman might be cooler than Spider-Man,” Vic teased. 

“No way!” Aaliyah said back. “Batman doesn’t even have superpowers. Spider-Man is way cooler, and he’s one of the smartest superheroes ever.” 

Vic grinned at Aaliyah. “Batman’s pretty smart too, though,” she retorted. 

“Spidey’s the best!” Aaliyah replied. 

Lucas smirked as their exchange, watching the two of them debate for several minutes about who was better: Spider-Man or Batman. 

It was endearing, and it have Lucas time to process what had been said earlier. The woman had thought that Aaliyah was their daughter, and Lucas hadn’t minded, not in the slightest. 

He had considered having kids, twenty years ago, before he married Eva who never wanted them. Kids weren’t a necessity, nor were they a top priority, and Lucas had figured that his marriage was more important than any desire for offspring. And it had been fine, he had his nephews and he spent time with them, and he volunteered whenever he could, and it was good. 

And then Eva had cheated on him and everything had fallen apart. He had been scorned over love after that. He had his family: his mum, his sisters, his nephews, and eventually his niece. He had figured that his family was enough, so he ignored romance and built a wall around his heart, determined to keep from falling in love again and having his heart broke. 

And then Vic had come into his life with her fiery personality and her amazing smile and her tenacity and brilliance, and she had bulldozed the wall he had built around his heart. She was so incredible and beautiful and amazing, and Lucas was absolutely, irrevocably in love with her. 

He wanted this with her. He wanted to take their future son or daughter to the children’s museum. He wanted to hear them argue about superheroes. He wanted to talk to strangers about parenting and its ups and downs. 

Aaliyah and Vic eventually stopped arguing, and the three of them headed to see the rest of the museum. 

Lucas tried to ignore his thoughts and instead he let the day wash over him. He was at the children’s museum, a place where he could freely be an overgrown kid. He helped Aaliyah pick the best produce in the fake groxeryvdupre and he built a complex structure in the gears and cogs room. He drew pictures with Aaliyah and Vic in the imagination room, and he let Aaliyah playfully prod his eyes (sometimes a little too harshly) in the eye doctor exhibit. 

But his mind kept returning to his previous thoughts. He and Vic had been together for a year and a half, and he had no idea what their future held, but perhaps it was something he needed to talk to her about. 

-X- 

“One more story, please, Uncle Luke? ” Aaliyah begged, even though she was yawning and her eyes were starting to droop with sleep. 

“You can have one more,” Lucas agreed. “It’s the last one your mom packed.” 

Vic smirked from her own spot on the bed. He had been told Aaliyah that they were going to only read one story, but then one turned into two and now, Aaliyah had selected a collection of biographies. Vic wondered how Lucas was going to get out of this one.

“That one has 100 stories,” Aaliyah whispered. “It’s called ‘Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.’” 

“How about we read one story from the book?” Lucas suggested. 

Aaliyah yawned again. 

“You’re really sleepy,” Lucas prodded. 

“Okay,” Aaliyah agreed reluctantly. 

“Once, there was a girl who could ride a bike so fast that you could barely see her…” Lucas began. 

Vic checked out of the story, and instead focused on Lucas. She had been thinking a lot about her conversations from earlier in the day: Aaliyah asking when they were going to get married and then the woman making the comment about Aaliyah being their daughter. 

She and Lucas had been together for almost two years, and they hadn’t really discussed future plans. She loved Lucas with everything in her. 

As a kid and even now as an adult, Vic never really made a concrete plan. She had always figured that life would take its course, and she would end up exactly where she needed to be. But watching Lucas with his niece stirred something inside of Vic that made her wonder if perhaps she needed to reevaluate her plans. 

Vic was never the kid to imagine her wedding day. She didn’t want the big fanfare and if anything, she would have a small ceremony with both of their families and her crew. If Vic took the time to imagine her wedding, the only requirement was that Lucas was there. 

The thought terrified and exhilarated her all the same. If someone had told her two years ago that she would be seriously considering marriage, Vic would’ve laughed in their face, but now, she was seriously considering marriage, and everything that followed. 

Kids were another matter altogether. Vic had wanted to do foster care, but given her work hours, it was understandably difficult to get approved, and childcare would be a hassle even if she did get approved, not to mention incredibly expensive. 

And Vic wasn’t sure if she wanted biological kids or not, having been one of seven, six of whom were adopted, Vic knew that families were more complex than just DNA, and Vic also knew that there were hundreds of kids in Washington state, in Seattle, who needed a home and someone to love them, even if it was for a short while. 

Kids were a huge commitment, but Vic already knew that Lucas was good with kids and that he cared about his family. He had dropped everything to help out his niece, and he was extremely close to his nephews that were in college. 

“Babe?” 

Lucas’s voice jolted Vic from her thoughts. 

“Liyah’s asleep,” he whispered. “You okay?” 

Vic nodded. “Just a little tired,” she said. 

“We should get some sleep,” Lucas agreed. 

The two nodded and headed out of Aaliyah’s room. 

They got ready for bed in relative silence. Vic could see the gears turning in Lucas’s head. 

“You okay?” Vic asked him. 

Lucas nodded. “I’m fine,” he answered. “I’m just thinking.” 

Vic knew exactly what he was thinking about. The day had been long, and it had been fun, but ultimately, the day had left them with questions about their future hanging in the air, and Vic was almost certain that she knew the answer to them. 

-X- 

There was a knock on the bedroom door, and then it was pushed open. 

“Uncle Luke,” came Aaliyah’s soft voice. “I had a nightmare.” 

Aaliyah stood in the doorway in her pajamas clutching her koala bear for dear life. 

Lucas sat up in bed and turned on the light. Neither he nor Vic had been sleeping, but they had turned out the lights to prepare for bed. 

Vic sat up as well, rubbing her eyes. She was probably on the verge of sleep before Aaliyah had come in. 

“What’s wrong?” Lucas asked. 

“I’m scared,” Aaliyah said. “And I miss Mommy and Mama.” 

Lucas stood and stepped closer to his niece and Aaliyah took a step back, seeming to flinch. 

Lucas frowned. He wondered what her nightmare had been about, but by the way she had reacted, he had a hunch. 

Vic noticed her reaction too, and Vic stood up. 

“Do you like hot chocolate, Aaliyah?” Vic asked. “We can make some before you go back to bed.” 

“I’d like that,” Aaliyah said. 

“How about Uncle Luke makes us some and we can sit at the table,” Vic suggested. 

Aaliyah have a small smile. 

“Okay,” she said. Aaliyah stepped a little closer to Vic, eyeing Lucas warily, and it broke his heart. 

“C’mon,” Vic said. She grabbed Aaliyah’s hand and the two of them walked into the living room and settled at the coffee table. 

Lucas followed, sure to keep his distance, and he entered the kitchen. He grabbed a pot and placed it on the stove. 

“You know,” Vic said to Aaliyah. “When I was really little, I used to have nightmares too.” 

“You did?” Aaliyah asked, a little lilt to her voice. 

“And I got very scared,” Vic continued. 

“But you’re so brave now,” Aaliyah countered. “You go into burning buildings and you help people. Mommy says that’s very, very brave.” 

“Being scared doesn’t mean you’re not brave,” Vic said softly. “It means that you keep on going, even whenever you feel scared. Anyone can be brave.”

Lucas poured the milk into the pan and set it on simmer. 

Aaliyah nodded. Then, she was quiet for a long moment. Finally, she whispered (or thought she whispered because it was loud enough for Lucas to hear), “My dream was really, really scary. The bad man was there. He was going to hurt me, and I got really scared, and then I woke up.” 

“I’m sorry you had that dream,” Vic said gently. “Aaliyah, you’re safe now. ” 

“I’m safe now,” Aaliyah repeated. “It’s okay because I’m safe now.” 

Vic smiled at Aaliyah. “That’s right,” Vic agreed. “You’re safe now.” 

“You and Uncle Luke help keep me safe,” Aaliyah said softly. “Just like how Mommy and Mama keep me safe.” 

Lucas poured the cocoa mix into the pot and began to stir. Their cocoa would be ready shortly. 

“When you were little, were your nightmares real?” Aaliyah asked Vic suddenly. “Like mine with the bad man.” 

Vic sighed softly, and Lucas could see the gears turning in her head. It was difficult to explain things like this to a seven year old. 

“Sometimes,” Vic answered softly. “I would get scared because I remembered bad things. But my mom would always take me into the kitchen, and she would make me hot chocolate or tea, and she’d remind me that I was safe, and that the bad things were over.” 

Aaliyah was quiet. “You’re very brave, Ms. Vic,” she announced. 

“You’re brave too,” Vic said back. 

They sat in silence for a moment. 

“Did you want marshmallows in your hot chocolate?” Vic asked Aaliyah, breaking the quiet. 

“I love marshmallows!” Aaliyah cheered softly. 

Lucas placed some mini marshmallows in the hot chocolate and then placed the three mugs on the tray and carried them to the table. 

“Can I sit?” He asked. 

Aaliyah nodded. 

The three of them sipped their hot chocolate in a comfortable silence, and Lucas could tell that Aaliyah’s eyes were starting to droop again. 

They finished their mind, and Lucas took the three mugs to the sink and washed them while Vic took Aaliyah back to the guest room. 

“I can’t sleep,” Aaliyah said, as Vic pulled up the covers. “Will you sit with me until I go back to sleep?” 

Vic nodded. “Would you like to see a song?” She asked. 

“Yes, please,” Aaliyah said softly, turning onto her side as she closed her eyes. 

“ _Fly like a raven, black honey into the night_ ,” Vic began. 

“ _Soft like the air beneath, a swan in a flight.  
Then return back home, to bed, bring the dancing stars_”

Lucas had never realized that Vic could sing, but as her voice filled the room, Lucas was in awe. He had heard her sing, but it was at karaoke night, and everyone was beyond wasted. They were singing and laughing and making a fool of themselves. This was different. This was soft and sweet and perfect. 

“ _Sleep and dream of a white wolf howling and know that I am near_  
Shhh. Close your eyes, don't ask why  
Let's dream, together you and I  
Close your eyes, we will fly, dreaming together you and I 

Vic stroked Aaliyah’s hair softly. 

_The moon has sailed in a sliver gown of stars,_  
It's long, but not forever  
Soon her love will rise as mine and sing to the shadows  
Tomorrow we will shall rise with the dawn  
Kiss the flowers and bloom  
But now lie still as the wind and listen  
For I will come to you with the footsteps of morning 

Lucas closed his eyes and for a moment, he could imagine his future: spending the day at the museum, cooking dinner together, and maybe, just maybe, Vic singing to their little one.

“ _Shhh. Close your eyes, don't ask why_  
Let's dream, together you and I  
Close your eyes, we can fly, dreaming together you and I  
Dream, Dream, Dream, Dream”

“Good night, Uncle Lucas. Good night Aunt Vic,” Aaliyah said, her voice was thick with sleep. She curled into a tighter ball and a moment later Lucas could hear her soft snore. 

Vic stood and slowly slipped off the bed. 

She met Lucas’s eyes and gave him a soft smile. 

“We should probably leave the light on,” Vic whispered. “It’ll help if she wakes up again.” 

Lucas nodded his agreement, and Vic turned on the tableside lamp. She walked toward the doorway and then paused, staring at Aaliyah for a long moment. Aaliyah’s little snores filled the room, and Lucas observed Vic watching Aaliyah. Her eyes were so soft, and it looked almost as if she was holding back tears. 

“Let’s go to bed,” Lucas urged softly. “Liyah is safe.” 

Vic nodded and Lucas wrapped an arm around her and guided her back to the bedroom. The two of them crawled back into bed and under the covers. 

“You were good with Aaliyah,” Lucas said, by way of conversation. He was curious, but he knew that Vic needed to lead this conversation. 

“Experience is good, sometimes, I guess,” Vic said softly. She slipped a hand under Lucas’s shirt, but it wasn’t sensual. Vic was a tactile person, and she was purely seeking skin to skin contact. Lucas tugged of his shirt and placed it on his nightstand so that he could have easy access to it if Aaliyah woke up again. “Nightmares aren’t easy to deal with as a kid.” 

“Did you get them a lot?” Lucas pressed softly. 

Vic traced a pattern on Lucas’s abdomen. 

“For a few years I did,” Vic said. “They don’t know what triggered them. I was taken from my biological father when I was three, and they didn’t think I remembered much. But for my first few years of elementary school, I had nightmares almost nightly. I outgrew them, eventually. My mom thinks it was my body’s way of coping with all of the stress on me.” 

Lucas knew that Vic had been in foster care for a few years before she was adopted by her parents, but her opening up about her childhood and issues during it was different. They had talked in depth about the respective incidents with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but that was always fire related. 

“I’m sorry,” Lucas whispered. 

He ran a gentle finger through Vic’s hair. 

“I’m better now,” Vic said. “It was a long time ago, and I went to therapy for a few years. It’s in the past. Just, seeing Aaliyah brought some things back to the surface.”

“What’s wrong?” Lucas asked. 

“Nothing’s wrong,” Vic said, looking down. “I just, I want to help. There’s so many kids who are where I was 20 years ago, and I want to give back.” Vic let a long breath. “I want to foster a child,” she said. “But with working 24 hours and everything, I don’t know if they’d let me.” 

Lucas inhaled slowly, wondering if he should just say it. He breathed out. “We could do it together,” he said quietly. 

Vic looked up at her, her brown eyes staring into his blue ones. 

“We could arrange it so that we have coordinating days off,” Lucas continued awkwardly, unsure of how to proceed. This was, after all, a huge step in their relationship, one they hadn’t talked about until now. 

“That’s a big step,” Vic whispered. She traced a line on his arm. 

“I liked today,” Lucas said. “I loved it actually. I loved spending time with you and Aaliyah, and I loved watching you with her. It made me think…” he carded a finger gently through her curls.

Vic gave him a small smirk. “I’ve been thinking about things too,” she said. “Especially after the woman at the museum thought that Aaliyah was our daughter. But before that, too. We’ve been together for almost two years and…” Vic trailed off, her fingers resting on Lucas’s rapidly beating heart. 

“It’s something we need to talk about,” Lucas finished for her. “I want to marry you,” Lucas blurted, surprising even himself. “And this isn’t a proposal, not yet, but I want to marry you.” 

“Okay,” Vic said slowly. “Me too. I want you to marry me. I mean, I want to marry you.” Vic huffed, flustered. 

Lucas smiled at her. 

“Kids are, they’re a lot,” Vic said. “And doing foster care is a huge commitment. We could look into doing respite care. It’s watching foster kids a few nights a week so that their foster parents can have a break. It’s essentially babysitting, but we still have to go through the classes and things, and I think it’s a good baby step, a solid compromise.”

“Sophie, my sister, is a social worker,” Lucas said. “She works in Tacoma so it’s a different county, but she would know how to get started on the paperwork and background checks.” 

Vic nodded. “I’d like that,” she said. “We should talk to her.” Vic yawned. 

“We should get some sleep too,” Lucas said. “Liv says that Aaliyah is up at 6 o’clock every morning.” 

Vic grinned, and then gave Lucas a peck on the lips. “We can talk more about this later, okay? But I do think this conversation was a good first step. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Lucas replied. He kissed her head and then laid back. “And I’m glad we talked about this.” 

Vic curled against him, their bodies fitting together like puzzle pieces. Vic fell asleep pretty quickly, but Lucas didn’t. 

Instead, he watched Vic, memorized her facial features, the way that her eyes were closed, the way that her hair was splayed on the pillow and across his arm. The rise and fall of her chest through her t-shirt, which was actually his t-shirt. 

He could get used to this. 

In fact, this was exactly how Lucas wanted to spend his nights for the rest of his life.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: When I worked at a queer family camp this summer, one of my kids (who was nine, iirc) asked me what a Uhaul Lesbian was while at lunch and I _choked_. Like Lucas, I told her to ask her parents, and then I laughed forever and ever. 
> 
> Fun fact: the song that Vic sings is totally on the soundtrack of my nightmares. I worked childcare for three years, and that was part of the naptime CD. That song never leaves you.... 
> 
> Did you like it? Hate it? I gave it a once over but there might be a handful of glaring mistakes. Please lemme know and I’ll fix them ASAP.


End file.
